Agricultural chemicals and unexplained ill health

Abstract

Civilisation has survived for thousands of years using primitive forms of
agriculture but in a few short years it has threatened to self-destruct by
introducing chemicals not natural to it's environment. It has done this to
'more efficiently' protect it's food resource. People are now beginning to
understand the implications of this chemical usage and throughout the world
an environmentally aware public is beginning to emerge. In time this group
will become extremely powerful and if New Zealand and it's food producing
industries are to survive into the 21st Century and beyond, it must ensure
that it's produce is able to satisfy the demands of a very discerning consumer.
This will become more apparent as the population of the Northern Hemisphere,
particularly North America, Japan and Europe, begins the search for
produce free of contaminants. To give some understanding of what risks are taken using agricultural
chemicals some case histories are referred to and then to give some
direction to the future some of the options are discussed, including the use
of alternative chemicals, organic farming, integrated pest management and
restricting the use of certain chemicals by introducing some form of
licensing system to bring about a more responsible and accountable use of
these chemicals.... [Show full abstract]